Re: What did you do to your Crossfire today?
Installed LED running strip lights. Not hard but a little time consuming to do it right.....and hide the wires etc. Anyway, a nice result IMO. I chose a different set up than most (I believe). They are set up as eye brows,with a slight dip by the grill. Most I have seen have been the Audi style set up under the lights (only way to do that is outside and under the light assembly. I put mine on the top of the light behind the plastic lip of the headlight so when the hood is closed you can't see them (I actually have them under the rubber so you can't really see them even when its open). This set up has the lights actually shine through the headlight assembly. Anyway, here's a couple pics.
EDIT:
Quick Summary of LED Eyebrow Strip Lights / Running Lights Installation
Why did I pick this placement: First, I wanted something different and most newer factory placements aren’t under the lights any longer, but above or around the lights. I thought this would give it an updated look / feel. Second and foremost, it was because this placement actually makes it look light the strip lights are INSIDE the headlight assembly. If you look at the headlight, there is a slight “LIP” on the plastic on the assembly. Placing the strip lights here actually has the light show “Through” the headlight assembly. I think that’s pretty cool illusion.
EDIT with summary of instructions:
- General Info:
- I used 1 pack of LED Stip lights. Cost - $25. They are weather resistant, flat with LED lights facing front through the side of the strip. The pack I bought had the battery so you could see the lights, how they looked and take advantage of generally placing them in the area to see how they would look. I bought white, but they have blue, red and green as well.
- The lights strips were both 14 inches in length – one for the left and one for the right. No cutting was required. The length is perfect to allow the lights to run from the edge of the hood with a slight angle down by the side of the front grill
- This placement also allows for less / no interference with the existing look of the standard parking lights located in the corner of our headlight assemblies.
- Preparation: Clean the top of the headlight under / round the rubber strip that seals when the hood closes. Use some alcohol and let dry. This is to allow for the best adhesion of the light strip.
- Precise Placement: I chose to place mine slightly back from the headlight lip, and under the rubber seals for 2 reasons. First, I didn’t want to be able to see them, not only with the hood open, but with it closed. You can’t plane the back too far under the rubber though otherwise it will cover / block the lights. Second, I wanted to make sure they were held in place, not only by the tape but with the added pressure of the rubber holding them in place.
- Left light wire location is easy. On my strip set, that has the strip with the lights on the correct side facing forward with the wires at the correct (left) end of the string. Run the wires under the rubber in the corner and tuck them under near the fender well. Then run the wires down and through an area toward the front of the car. You’ll need to remove the grill. I pulled the wires through the hole by running a strip thing stick with tape wrapped around the tip, wrapped the wires around the tape and then pulled it through out toward the grill area. NOTE: You’ll now need more wire and some wire crimps to connect the wires (make sure you can identify the positive and negatives and that the wire is long enough to then use the same stick, attach the extended wires to run through (same procedure but now on the right side) back to the engine compartment on the right side.
- Right side: Next, you’ll need to run the right LED strip wires from the section of the rubber close to the grill, back through and behind the headlight. You have to do this from the left side of the headlight near the grill because that’ the only way the LED lights were facing forward. Once you do you will need to connect the negative wires together (I’ll get to grounding location later) and the positives together. You won’t need a lot of extra wire for the negative / ground wire because I just ran it under the light assembly, up to the corner bolt where the fender and light are bolted and ground it with that bolt. You will need enough wire though to run the positive (only one wire needed now) back to the fuse box by the fire wall. You will also need an inline fuse holder (I bought one at PepBoys for about 4 buck) and a 3 or 4 amp fuse. Connect the positive wire to one end of the in line fuse wire and secure and then put a round crimp connector on the other end to eventually secure that to the hot feed in the fuse box.
- To connect the wire to the hot feed in the fuse box, you’ll need to remove the top of the fuse box, and then the next part of the fuse box cover to get to the lower box area. There is a hot lead (always on) which is located in the lower box area far right bolt by the fender / firewall. I stuffed a klenex in around it so if the bolt fell, it wouldn’t be impossible to get. I also placed tape inside the socked so when I took it off and put it back on, it would stay in the socket and not be lost. You connect an appropriate sized connect from the fuse wire here and therefore the light will always be on when you turn the car on. If you don’t want this, you’ll need to pick a different connection / fuse.
- When securing the light strips, peel away the tape and try to make sure application is the same area on both lights.
Good luck. Happy to answer questions and also send a few location pics to aid with these instruction
Last edited by PNA; Aug 24, 2015 at 01:19 PM.
Reason: Photos didn't upload first try